Manifest Your Own Destiny, By Josh Murphy

Once you have allowed yourself to be controlled and essentially become a manifestation of your position, your career, or college, or some entity that has nothing to do with your own ideas, your creativity, or your sense of being, then you have sold yourself short. There is truly something amazing about each and every person that is the foundation of our existence. The hopes and dreams; visions of a brighter future; the aspirations for greatness and success--all of these experiences are truly the point of life. The experiences that we create, that we build, that we endure, that we live--are what prepares us for a full life with purpose. What you make of opportunities in life, not necessarily what they make of you, determines your path in life. Being defined by a reality that you cannot control, or shape, or move, causes one to become stagnant in their own quest for a full existence and understanding of ones purpose and ability to create real and lasting change.

I have always believed wholeheartedly in the power of ones own innate ideas and creative inspirations to shape ones own world or reality. A reality that only exists if we believe in it, if we fight for it, if we work for it, and if we persevere against all the negative comments and negative energy that seeks to tear down and destroy, rather than lift up and sustain. The human cause is unyielding, it is deep, it is monumental. The ability to reach across the sky, to stretch across new borders and opportunities is the catalyst for becoming awakened to ones own passions and love of life. Once you are able to realize that you have a purpose, that you are worthy of a successful and happy life without regard to what others think, or a position or some other stigma that you cannot control, then doors will open and your life path will be enlightened.


The energy that each person puts out in the world is what they get in return. Your treatment of other people, your faith, your determination, and spirit of diversity are paramount to realizing your true potential and living it. Being fearless in the face of adversity, being free in times of strife and struggle, being hopeful even when darkness overshadows the light--always leaning forward, thinking of new creations, designing your own life map, and knowing that you can control your thoughts, your ideas, your life, and ultimately your destiny. And once you can take hold of that image of living freely and without fear to knock down doors, to break through barriers, to brainstorm your dreams into reality--you will gain a new sense of purpose and identity that is always focused on living the best you. Setting priorities, goals, and endeavors to live a life worth dreaming then your destiny is directly connected with your own freedom to live and inspire. Do not be afraid of the peanut gallery, the nay sayers, the pretentious, or those who seek to tear down--instead take that negative energy and shape it into a positive force for good.


You know you are making positive strides when the voices of negativity are growing louder, because they want you to fail, they want you to live a mediocre life, they want you to settle for less. That is when you know that you must endure, that your journey is not in vain, and that your life has purpose and meaning. Live freely, share, love, cry, trek, breathe, run, speak, sing, dance, create, build, reconstruct, whistle, design, fall down, get back up, draw, and most importantly, be you!

Author:
Josh Murphy
Founder, Youth Speak

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Biography:
The youngest of eight children, Josh Murphy began his writing career at a very young age, even before publishing his first book "Writings from a Teenage Mind" in high school. After writing his own column in a local newspaper for over a year, he attended the University of Tampa and attained a bachelor’s degree in government and world affairs in 2008. While in college he was actively involved with numerous campus leadership organizations and volunteer projects in New Orleans and Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. His experiences in college led him to join City Year, a national non-profit aimed at reducing the national dropout rate, where he tutored, mentored, and taught students. Murphy has always been inspired by the power of young people and their ability to enact sustainable social change. Through his writings he hopes to empower and educate people of all ages to tap into their own creative abilities to make a positive difference in the world. He currently resides in the Washington, DC area.

Taking Risks, By Lara Amshay

“Expect the unexpected” is a phrase I’ve heard many times from various teachers, mentors, and family members throughout my whole life. Recently, in pursuing the silver level in the Leadership Challenge, I have learned the importance of leaders taking risks. This revelation came into play in reflecting on my time I spent volunteering as a Media Assistant at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships this past January (2011) at the Greensboro Coliseum. As my coach Ryan pulled out a tape recorder at the beginning of our session, I narrowed my focus to the recorder and strongly gritted my teeth. “We meet again!” I slyly told the tape recorder. Like Ryan, you may be wondering why I was talking to a tape recorder. For the past two weekends, I spent a lot of time “getting to know” the tape recorder and other technological devices. I had no prior experience in using a tape recorder before that weekend and I had never touched a Nikon or a Canon Powershot before either. To give a little background, handing me an expensive camera is similar to a scared, hesitant parent giving their newly turned sweet sixteen year-old their precious car for the night. On my way to the Coliseum the first day of work for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, I had no idea what I would be doing. I was slowly approaching “The Unknown Zone” and I didn’t like it. Whenever I approach a task, I generally have an idea of how to do it or what it involves doing. With the figure skating, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be helping interview skaters, escorting the skaters to the press box, and I had feelings that I was going to fail at whatever task I was assigned. Despite these apprehensions, I zipped up my blue figure skating jacket and pulled my press pass over my head and slowly walked down to the Media Zone.

Later that weekend, when I got off from my shift, a friend of mine who was also volunteering texted me saying that my pictures were online. As I waited for my computer to boot up, I couldn’t stop smiling. For the past two days, I got to stand right off the rink and take pictures of the skaters warming up, talking to their coaches and other skaters, on the ice, and I was there the moment they got off the ice to capture their reactions. It truly was an amazing experience. I grew up going to see skaters perform such as Kristi Yamaguchi, Brain Boitano, and Michelle Kwan, but as I got older, skating wasn’t my first choice of sport to watch when Duke Basketball was on TV. Being right by the judges, I saw how disciplined the skaters were and how beautifully crafted their jumps and axels were. I felt the pressure of thousands of eyes on them as they gracefully commanded the ice. It was an honor for me to capture the sacred moments with their coaches and hugging their coaches right when they landed the jumps of their dreams. Just as the skaters took risks adding new jumps, lifts, and axels into their routines, I was taking my own risks by completing and excelling at tasks which I had never done before and had only been given little direction.

The next weekend, the final weekend of the championships, is a pretty big deal. The competition was broadcasting live on NBC and on Sunday the champions were crowned. I took a trip back to the “Unknown” once again when I met my perceived opponent, the tape recorder. I generally tried to avoid eye contact when the team leaders asked if someone wanted to record and transcribe interviews. I desired to be right off the ice again, front and center for the action, but instead I got stuck backstage with my new friend, the recorder. As soon as the skaters received their scores, a volunteer escorts them to the media mix zone where reporters from around the world are waiting to grill them on their performance. My job was to make sure the microphones were working and to be front and center to make sure my recorder picked up good sound. After the reporters were done asking questions, I was to run back to the Media room and transcribe the interviews. It was hard at first, because I was rushing myself to get everything down and to get it done correctly. After awhile, I got the hang of it and let my guard down. Things got really exciting when the top three skaters came back. Ryan Bradley, the overall champion, is one of the funniest skaters to be around. He was always smiling and making jokes, which really made me enjoy doing my job. And to top the day off, I got to touch the championship trophy before Ryan did!

I really enjoyed my time spent volunteering at the Championships. Not only did I get to work around great people, such as the whole staff of the U.S. Figure Skating Media Department and NBC Sports, but I feel I gained more skills as a journalist through my experience. I can now put on my resume that I have over twenty photographs of skaters on Ice Network’s website. I can also list the various jobs I did with helping interview, transcribing interviews, and relaying information for reporters. I now have been there and back from the “Unknown Zone” and it wasn’t bad at all! It was me, just me in those moments. No one else was there to hold my hand while I completed my tasks or tell me how to do them the right way. Ultimately, it was my call and my responsibility to trust my own strengths and abilities and to put them to the test. Yes, they were huge risks, but I’m so glad I took them!

Author:

Lara Amshay

Community Identity, By Preston Yarborough

Often we talk about understanding our personal identity or personal brand by thinking "What defines me? What makes me stand out? What are my values?" As leaders in our community, we can also shift gears to think about our community identity with "What defines our community? What makes us stand out? What are our community values?"

Here's a personal story about a dear place to me, High Point, North Carolina. As community leaders, you can apply this to your own 'neck of the woods.'

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Check One

☐ High Point: A place to live.

☑ High Point: The place to live.

Transforming High Point: From A to The.

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How would you feel if 668 North Main St., home of The Dog House, was closed for a month and when it reopened it had turned into a Subway? I'm a healthy eater, Subway is a fine establishment, but something about that corner of Main and Westwood wouldn't feel quite right. That's the difference between A and The. Subway is A fine place to eat in High Point. But a long-lost High Pointer (e.g., college students back home for a visit), want to go to The place to eat when they land back in town. The Dog House is one of The places to eat in High Point.

Subway is a uniform commodity--almost appliance-like in it's approach to dining. A well-run Subway is efficient, cost-effective, and even healthy. These are all good qualities but apart from cholesterol levels, what separates Subway from the Dog House? The Dog House is a High Point institution. It has a character and flavor all its own--and not only in the chili. A thousand Subways can't replace one Dog House. I ate three meals a week there during High School--all with my best friend Gary. We sat at the Duke booth whenever possible, even if it meant waiting an extra 10 minutes. (If we were late to class, at least it was for a noble cause!) I don't have to explain what the Duke booth is--you know because it's part of our shared history of what it means to be a High Pointer.

Cities run the risk of being viewed as commodities, or appliances. Ubiquitous strip malls, restaurant chains, and cookie cutter housing developments evidence this shift. Such changes come at a cost, one that creeps in gradually and subtly. If we pause to take stock, we may wince inside. Furniture is imported into High Point rather than manufactured here, and generations of skilled craftsmen have been left with idle hands. This once proud discipline now resides as a mere a footnote from a bygone era. What would happen if Emerywood were razed because a developer's dollars spoke louder than an ambivalent community did? And if the Dog House changed to Subway, would college kids ever come home?

More and more, High Point doesn't look and feel much different from anywhere else. As uniqueness fades, so does its character and our shared identity. I want to belong to a community that understands the Duke booth is better than the Carolina booth--period. (And I don't care if the Dog House keeps Chapel Hill calendars on the wall--the Duke booth is better!) I want to belong to a community that supports quirky, vibrant businesses. A community that creates opportunity to share its talent, its gifts, and its creative genius. A community that appreciates what it has been, where it is now, and aspires to become something meaningful and relevant for its future citizens. I hope my son has a Dog House story to share with his kids. But our future rests with us.

High Point is searching for citizen-leaders who appreciate their community, where High Point isn't merely A place, but is The place. How do we transform High Point from A to The? First we converse. We sit together, we listen, we worry, and we dream. And this won't be easy.

Margaret Wheatley is the President of the Berkana Institute, a charitable global foundation that supports life-affirming leaders and grassroots changemakers around the world. The challenges High Point faces are not unique to the Piedmont, to North Carolina, or even the United States; they are a byproduct of our times. Wheatley observed, "Good people are finding it increasingly difficult to do what they know is best. Whether we're in a small village or a major global corporation, in any country or in any type of work, we are being asked to work faster, more competitively, more selfishly--and to focus only on the short-term. These values cannot lead to anything healthy and sustainable, and they are ultimately destructive. Even though life is our best teacher, we're not learning her lessons. I believe we must learn quickly now how to work and live together in ways that bring us back to life."

A community will not sustain her citizens through this chaos, but The community can.

At the present time we are fragmented.

At the present time we have a crisis of identity.

At the present time we are either scared to death or are oblivious--and both inhibit effective action.

But we will move forward.

In the future, diverse factions will converse and find common ground.

In the future, common ground will guide our transformation.

In the future, citizen-leaders will take action.

However we must discover, nurture, and develop our resources.

Author:

Preston Yarborough, Ph.D.

Assistant Director of Leadership

Leaders Change™ Principle 3, By Dianne Garrett

A leader’s job is change - to lead change in your organization and in yourself. As John Maxwell says ‘the secret to success is in your daily actions.’ Are you making brain-smart decisions each and every day?

The magnificent human brain is built to spend energy wisely, and yet importantly at the same time, our executive center (the pre-frontal cortex), the part that plans ahead, organizes, and stops us from doing things we oughtn’t do tires very easily (This area of the brain evolved last). We can use more energy than is stored or perhaps think of too many thoughts at once and use up our available resources. When the brain gets tired, research proves that we make poor decisions.

As the brain tires, we lose our emotional control systems and can say or do something we wouldn’t do otherwise. It can even go as far as our behaving like a 2-year old in a temper-tantrum. Child-like lack of emotional control is not attractive in leaders. We want to follow those with emotional stability. Here are a few strategies from Dr. David Rock’s 2009 book Your Brain at Work for you to employ to not overtire your brain.

Principle 3: A Tired Brain Makes Poorer Decisions

One: Use the energy-efficient brain system, the basal ganglia (habit storage part of your brain) to your advantage. When you repeat actions, this area of our brain records the set of actions. Take advantage of this. Create intentional habits by consciously repeating what you want to be a habit.

Two: Let’s talk about multitasking. Not all multitasking is the same – some is good, some is not so good. I’ll explain. Good is our efficient system, the basal ganglia, records repeated actions thereby creating habits. Ever driven to work and not remember getting there? Well, that’s the efficient basal ganglia at work. Not so good is when we try to problem-solve too many items for the pre-frontal cortex (PFC) – that is usually 4 items. Multitasking in our executive center leads to poorer decisions.

Ever walked into a room and then not remembered what you went into that room to do or get? The event that causes that to happen is thinking of too many things at once. When we put too much in the executive center of the brain, the PFC, our brain bumps one (or more) off. Oops. Don’t over tire your brain.

Three: The pre-frontal cortex also holds our braking system. For instance, let’s say that someone was wearing something that you disliked, the more tired your PFC, the more likely you’ll not be able to stop yourself from saying something or signaling that you do not like the choice. This is socially impacting to our relationships. Be careful when you are tired.

Four: Focus uses energy. When I am working at home, I know my focus wanes after 45 minutes. My personal strategy is to do laundry while writing or working on my coursework. When the buzzer goes off I get up and move around for about 10 minutes. My mind gets a healthy break. In short, when you feel tired walk away, working harder is most often not the answer.

Five: Place visual cues all round. Don’t tax your brain by trying to remember. Use your eyes. Your brain reads and records for you – effortlessly.

Six: Set up a capture system. Save your brain for problem-solving instead of remembering. Choose a time management system that keeps you focused on your priorities. De-clutter your mind. Go to www.smartplanner.org to view the newest planner in the market; it’s a de-clutter brain system.

Seven: Chunk details instead of working to remember too much. Our brains can remember grouped information easier than lots of pieces.

Eight: Sleep. Our brains are more active at night than in the day. Our body needs this time to process information. Sleep is key to de-stress and balancing your body’s chemicals too. And, while you hear this all the time, it bears repeating – drink lots of water.

Nine: Quiet your mind. Slow down your thoughts. Most people don’t know the power of a quiet mind. We are culturally trained to think that we are smart by thinking all the time, and the opposite is true. If one’s mind is constantly busy then you don’t have room for new ideas (new mental connections and associations) to happen. A quiet mind is a powerful mind.

Author:
Dianne Garrett
Co-founder, QLEAD Intl
http://www.qleadintl.com/

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To see Dianne's Leaders Change™ Principle 2.

To see Dianne's Leaders Change™ Principle 1.

Change Your Environment, By Katelyn Chapman

Our environment effects us as a person, a leader, an organization, a family---everything. Why does it? I propose that our environment is part of the "system" we are in. It's like Dr. Beitler says in Organizational Change with the Systems Model that:

More often than not, the person is not 'the problem.' The problem is typically
embedded in the system. If we don't change the system, we will soon face the
same problem again (p.14, 2006).

Let's talk about how the environment effects us as individuals and groups.

First, as an individual... We can have wonderful goals...but are our behaviors in line with those goals? AND, do we have a SYSTEM supporting our goals? More specifically, is your environment helping you get closer to those goals or is it hindering your goals? I referenced in "CREATE and ACHIEVE Your Personal Vision" one part of your environment- people.

You can create your Dream Team by identifying people in your life who help you achieve what you want. They are the ones providing positive support and even asking difficult questions that help you grow and achieve your vision. So, we want a Dream Team...but who are the other people detracting from your goal? Why are you still keeping them in your life? Alexis Jones from i am that girl keeps it short and simple: "If they are not helping you achieve your goal, eliminate them from your life."

Another part of the environment is anything you can sense- touch, smell, see, hear, taste. What sensing things can you change in your environment to reinforce your goal? Can you add natural light to help you brighten up? Can you listen to headphones to add an afternoon energy boost? Can you light a candle that makes your working space cozier?

As a group, the environment also is important. The environment WE create sets the tone and fosters a culture. What culture do you want in your family, group, organization? Want a culture where everyone feels comfortable? Feels welcome? Feels energized? Feels motivated? How do you match the strategy of your organization with the necessary culture? Beitler explains Cameron and Quinn's "types of organizational culture" in Strategic Organizational Change:

Clan- Is like an extended family where the leader is frequently a parental figure. Loyalty or tradition holds the organization together. Success is defined in terms of sensitivity to customers and employees (Beitler, 2006). Therefore, how could the environment facilitate this? Could the company ask for employee and customer suggestions on what the decor is or what music is played?

Adhocracy- It features temporary team membership and constantly changing structure. Creativity and new ideas are seen as successful (Beitler, 2006). How could the environment promote this vibe? Bright colors on the wall? Unique decor? Innovative companies like 3M, Google and Amazon give developers about 20% of free time, or time to play.

Market- Is market-driven and highly competitive. Market share and market penetration define succesful market culture companies (Beitler, 2006). How can you promote a competitive environment. Many sales organizations do this by having individual sales numbers showcased on a wall, where the top winners will receive extra bonuses or vacations to warm destinations. You could use a simple whiteboard to increase the competitive heat in your group...

Hierarchy- Is formal and highly structured. Efficiency defines success (Beitler, 2006). How can you promote an efficient environment? How about monitoring the cost of scraps and trying to decrease that number? You could also post this in a common space where workers see their target and what they met. We saw this on a factory tour of a gas pump company that strives to decrease costs and increase efficiency.

How will you change your individual and work environment?

Recently I wanted to promote the clan culture in my work. I started something new in a central location with two objects- paper and a computer. First, I took butcher paper and added a "Quote of the day" with a positive, inspirational quote. Then I welcomed co-workers to add their own quote.

Then with the computer, I played some rockin’ tunes! Who doesn’t enjoy a little jam session mid day? It’s something small but can change the culture in a beat.

What was the result of these two simple objects and change?

It created a fun and inviting atmosphere. It has the direct ability to positively affect attitudes in our office. Fellow co-workers have been randomly breakin' it down, reminiscing as certain songs bring back vivid memories, laughing at other songs, and igniting other conversations that the song is their favorite artist. Something “small” but that creates change. The environment and culture affect us, as they are part of our system. What have you done or will do to change it?

Author:
Katelyn Chapman

Leadership Lessons from the Campaign Trail, By Michael Beitler

I have been a student of leadership must of my life. After graduating from a university business school, I entered the financial world and eventually became a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in banking. In the business world, I saw leaders who were amazingly effective, leaders who were marginally effective, and leaders who derailed completely.

While still serving as a CFO in banking, I decided to pursue graduate school studies (MA in Psychology and Ph.D. in Leadership Development) to get a better understanding of leadership effectiveness. I enjoyed the challenge of graduate school level work and the exploration of a wide range of leadership theories, but all of the theories seemed to focus on only one or two aspects of leadership. None of the leadership theorists seemed to appreciate the complexity of leadership.

After leaving the financial world I entered the academic world. The academic research I read and conducted was interesting. But, once again, it all seemed to focus on particular aspects of leadership at the expense of an understanding of the complexity of leadership.

In 2009, I was asked to serve as my party’s candidate for the U.S. Senate. Being my first political campaign, I expected a very steep learning curve. It was.

I was especially surprised by the lessons learned about leadership. A political candidate is immediately thrust into a leadership role. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to attend the Institute of Political Leadership (IOPL). IOPL prepared me for many aspects of the candidate’s role (talking to the print media, doing TV and radio interviews, crafting political strategy, fine tuning your message, etc.).

After graduating from IOPL in December 2009, I felt prepared for most of the challenges facing a political candidate. Surprisingly, I felt rather unprepared for the leadership role (no fault of IOPL).

I had served as a leader many times throughout my professional career. I had a vision for the campaign. I had a realistic view of our budget constraints. I had sufficient time and energy to devote to the campaign. But I had never worked with a small army of volunteers before.

Peter Drucker’s comments about volunteers became instantly clear. Volunteers are the ultimate in motivated workers. I recall seeing my volunteers working Facebook and other social media sites at 2am every morning. Their energy seemed limitless.

Suddenly a high-energy volunteer would disappear. And then another one would disappear. A few days later another volunteer would vanish. IOPL had predicted a volunteer turnover rate of three weeks, but I refused to accept it.

I assumed it must be about me. What did I do wrong? What did I say that was offensive?

It took a while for me to realize the complexity of my leadership role. I was only one ingredient in the mix.

In addition to my own strengths and weaknesses, I had to consider the strengths, weaknesses, needs, and preferences of the workers. I also had to consider the unique opportunities and threats of our task.

Workers (paid or volunteer) loss jobs, have family problems, go back to school, take on more responsibility in their church or civic organization, start or end a romantic relationship, or experience some philosophical angst that causes them to re-evaluate their commitment to “your” project. The best thing you can do is talk to them; do what you can do to help. But allow them to take responsibility for their own lives.

Keep in mind that leadership is complex and dynamic. Things change. You change, your followers change, and the requirements of the task change. As the leader you are always dealing with a different mix of variables. Get frequent feedback about your leadership effectiveness. Use an instrument such as the Leadership Versatility Index to make feedback dialogue part of your organization’s culture.

Leadership is more than providing an inspiring vision. You must develop the versatility to deal with the changing needs of your followers and the task itself.

Author:
Michael Beitler, Ph.D.
Professor at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG)
Libertarian Canidate, US Senate http://www.beitlerforussenate.org/about
http://www.beitlerforussenate.org/about

Leading Change in the Entrepreneurially-Focused Organization, By Joseph Erba

Successfully leading an organization of any form or size must incorporate the leader’s vision with a well-grounded strategy of how the organization will move towards that vision. The premise here is that the term “entrepreneurial” refers to a mindset of thoughts and actions rather than venture creation; which can be an outcome of this mindset, but not a prerequisite of such. Those actions include allowing innovation to thrive by redefining the definition of “failure” and executing a strategy through proactive forays into existing and new market arenas.

It’s fair to say that in order to implement a strategy, the leaders must be able to effectively manage the resources at their disposal, albeit financial, operational and most importantly, the human resources of the firm. If we accept the basis that “ Management” focuses on the transformation of inputs into outputs, on maximizing the available resources at their disposal and coordinating those resources for the benefit of achieving goals and objectives, we can also contend that “Leadership” focuses on exploiting the corporate capabilities of the organization to reach their objectives, while also exploring how to challenge and change these capabilities in order for the organization to stay relevant and build some level of sustainable competitive advantages.

Yet regardless of how dynamic or charismatic a leader or leadership group is, or how compelling their value proposition may be to their internal and external audiences, a series of fundamental challenges face them at every turn.

These challenges include defining (or in some cases redefining) the direction of the company in light of an ever-changing business environment, assessing the capabilities and competencies of the teams of managers and contributors that form the core capabilities of the organization, while attempting to address the societal challenges of changing demographics and lifestyles in the environments served.

So in a rather simple way, we can say that a leader is a juggler, a balancer, an individual framed in the present, but focused on the future. As these leaders articulate their visions, their missions and goals for their organizations, their role becomes one of a communicator, one of supporting the messages presented both vertically and horizontally through their organizations.

In the context of corporate entrepreneurship, we understand that the three drivers of innovation, risk-taking and proactive behaviors create another set of compelling challenges, especially when the organization is facing some level of change (such as redefining their markets, renewing their strategic direction or looking externally for available partnerships). The premise here is that change in itself is no longer an “event” rather an integral part of the strategy of the firm.

Yet embracing change requires constant and consistent messaging. Communicating throughout the organization must be effective enough to challenge the organization to move beyond the comfort levels of their current positions to areas of potential uncertainty without disrupting the balance of the organization.

Studies have indicated that these efforts of communicating throughout the organization are steeped in a process of social learning involving the roles that each person (leadership, managerial or individual contributors) has assumed either formally or informally throughout the organization.

As organizational members interact and exchange information, roles and role expectations develop. As roles develop, leadership takes on the task of “architecting” these interactions. The leadership goal here is to assure that these interactions foster effective exchanges of information between the role players, so that there is a shared understanding of the strategies and goals, while creating some congruence between the organization and the follower’s self-interests.

For many of us who have experienced “managing“or being managed, we understand that the process entails a wide variety of behaviors, both formal and informal. We accept that there may be a difference in expectations of the people interacting with managers/leaders. These differences of expectations create the opportunity for conflict. These differences center around personal beliefs of what the organization needs to accomplish, how it should be accomplished and who should be accomplishing it. These differences are driven by experiences, based on someone’s primary functional position within the firm or their actual or perceived “positional” power within the company.

All these different roles and/or beliefs lead to disconnections over which roles to play and the possibility of inconsistent messaging. Here, leadership and all levels of management need alignment or uncertainly prevails, leading to tension and role conflicts. If managers themselves are in conflict with their roles, organizational dysfunction forms. People avoid challenges (the opportunities for innovation, risk-taking and proactiveness); creating stress on the organization, people decide to leave (usually the best and the brightest) and the organization is stymied.

Therefore, the concept of consensus on the dominate logic (shared understanding on the need for change) is critical to effective leadership. This leads to a shared understanding, role clarity and hopefully greater trust throughout the organization.

Last, leadership needs some mechanisms to develop this consensus and trust to support their strategic directions. This leads us to three possible measures; market controls (objective criteria for evaluating new ideas/opportunities), bureaucratic controls (standardized behaviors and performance assessment) and clan controls that rely on the corporate culture to create a feeling of belonging while reinforcing the values of the organization.

References: Morris, M., Kuratko, D. and Covin, J., Corporate Entrepreneurship & Innovation; 2e, 2008

Author:

Joseph Erba

Professor of Practice
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG)